


The Lip

by Fishyz9



Series: Body Parts [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-15 04:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16926939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishyz9/pseuds/Fishyz9
Summary: The Lip.A series of missteps and injuries with a patient boyfriend on standby. Nico Kim gets suspended.





	The Lip

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to post these small fics separately, rather than chapters. Sorry for the confusion!

People are looking at me. I no longer believe I’m being paranoid; they are definitely looking and for the life of me I can’t figure out why.

“Hey Doctor Schmitt.” I hear in an oddly suggestive tone.

“Uh,” I turn and blink in surprise; this nurse has never so much as acknowledged my existence before. “Hi, hello.”

She smirks and goes back to her chart, shooting the nurse next to her a quick glance. He also appears to be smothering a grin.

“Okay, what’s going on?” I ask them.

“What do you mean, doctor?”

“No come on, seriously. What am I missing?” I look down at myself quickly. “I’m not wearing my scrubs backwards; I haven’t humiliated myself in at least twenty four hours or done anything particularly remarkable today, why are people looking at me like…like…”

“Like what?”

“Like…they’re  _impressed_.” Something I’m not accustomed to.

“Because maybe they are?” The first nurse says.

I frown, trying to think of what I could possibly have done recently that would be regarded as noteworthy. Could it be the whole blood transfusion thing in the middle of surgery? Could I finally be gaining a little credit?

“Is it the blood bank thing?”

“You mean where you nearly puked inside a patient and then passed out? Yeah, no,” he says, deadpan. “That’s a hundred percent not it.”

My shoulders slump. I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed. “Then  _what_?”

“Schmitt, a word?”

My head snaps around. “Doctor Lincoln, of course.”

He turns without saying anything else and some sort of tingly, sixth sense, Spidey senses tell me that I’m in trouble.

“Oh man,” the second nurse snorts. “Good luck.”

I scramble after Doctor Lincoln who’s already turning the corner. “Uh, is… is something wrong? Have I done something?”

“Oh you could say that.” He says as he turns to me, holding the door to an on call room open. I stop dead in my tracks, suddenly afraid to go in there.

“Am I being fired?” I hate how small my voice sounds.

He frowns at me. “What?  _No_ , get in here already.”

I do as I’m told and watch warily as he closes the door behind us. He looks –  _glares_  at me and is about to say something, but pauses first to lock the door. When he turns back to me his hands are resting on his hips and he looks me up and down, like he’s analysing me.

“Ok, what the hell is going on? I can’t take this anymore.”

“So  _you’re_  the one.” He says, petty much ignoring my question.

“I’m the one what?”

“You’re the one that’s got my best friend’s head up in the clouds.”

Uh oh. “Um…”

“I couldn’t figure it out, and it was right under my nose.” He looks me up and down again, frowning. “Literally, you’re  _tiny_.”

“I…um, I honestly don’t know what you expect me to say.”

“How about ‘sorry for getting Nico Kim suspended.’”

I feel as if all the blood has drained from my body in one instant, my knees suddenly feeling weak. “W- _what_?”

“Yep.” He says sharply. “My best bud, hardest working guy I know, suspended.”

“What happened?” Then it dawns on my. “Oh no…is this that hospital policy thing? Have I just…” I run both of my hands through my hair and I can feel myself start to hyperventilate. “Have I just ruined his  _career_?!”

“Ok, a little dramatic there, Schmitt. Steady on.”

“Steady  _on_?” I practically shout. “You tell me Nico’s fired and I’m supposed to stay  _calm_?!”

“I didn’t say  _fired_ , I said suspended. Oh my…” he rolls his eyes. “Is this really what does it for him?” He gestures to me, as if he’s talking to someone else. “ _Really_ , Nico?”

I ignore the insult. “Okay.” I say firmly, getting a raised brow out of him. “Start from the beginning. Because if this is due to that stupid policy then I’ll march into Bailey’s office right now and –”

He holds his hands up. “Okay! Stop, before you hurt yourself.”

My reputation precedes me, obviously. I huff out a deep, frustrated breath.

He gestures at me again, his lips lifting at one corner in an almost smirk. “This is making a little more sense now, by the way.”

“Oh my god, will you  _please_  just–”

He holds his hands out again. “He got into a fight with Doctor Karev, over  _you_.”

That was not what I was expecting. “Me?” Suddenly it clicks into place. “Oh jeez.”

“Don’t ask me what was said, I’ve no idea, all I know is that Karev provoked him in the parking lot and Nico took a swing.”

I step back and sit on one of the cots. “Oh god.”

He frowns at me. “You know, don’t you? You know what this was about.”

“This is just so…ugh.”

“Why does Karev hate you?”

I look at him steadily for a moment and sigh, shrug. “I slept with his wife.”

His brows shoot into his hairline. “Excuse me?”

I quickly squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head. “No, that’s not…I mean I slept with Jo before they were even…when they weren’t…oh god.” I bury my face in my hands.

“Ah, ok.”

When he says nothing else I lift my head out of my hands and look at him. He’s looking at me the same way those nurses were. “What?”

He gestures to my groin. “Just wondering if it does magic tricks, or something. I mean Jo Karev  _and_  Nico Kim?”

I feel my eye twitch. “If you don’t mind I’d like to know how Nico is.”

“Defensive over your man, that’s something I guess.”

“For the love of –”

“Ok, ok.” He almost laughs. “Like I said, he’s not fired he’s suspended. Technically it happened just out of hospital bounds and Karev admitted to provoking him.”

“Is Doctor Karev suspended?” I ask snappishly.

He smirks. “Alright, Schmitt. I’m warming up to you a little.”

“Is he suspended?” I repeat, biting out my words.

“No of course not, he’s head of Paeds and Interim Chief. And like I said, Nico –  _stupidly_  – took the first swing.”

“How long is Nico suspended for, is this going to affect his career?”

He shrugs. “Time will tell. It’ll go on his record but the suspension is only for two weeks. He may be a mad talented Ortho surgeon but he’s going to have to watch his back and knuckle down like never before after this.” He looks at me pointedly. “No more mooning over the intern who dropped his glasses in a patient.”

“Are you… are you saying you think Nico shouldn’t be with me?”

His face twists slightly. “How the hell is that any of my business? I just mean that he needs to not be obvious about it.”

“Obvious?”

“Have you not been listening? He punched Doctor Karev in the face presumably because the guy hates  _you_ , I’d call that being obvious.”

“Oh, I guess you’re right about that.” I say shamefacedly.

He sighs. “Look, when does your shift finish?”

I look at the time. “About an hour.”

“Good, finish up here and then go see him, he’s at home.”

I nod.

“And Schmitt, get your shouting out of the way quick, I know he kind of exposed you here too, and  _boy_  do you have an interested meeting with HR coming up because of it, but he’s bummed. You’ll come out of this ok; it’s his career that’s looking a little shaky, alright? And his work is everything to him…” He looks at me pointedly. “Well, almost everything.”

I nod, unsure of my feelings right now.

“Good.” He turns and unlocks the door but then pauses, his hand resting on the handle as he glances back at me. “Oh, and Schmitt?”

“Yeah?”

“Nico’s a hell of a guy, you hurt my friend and we’ll have a problem. Okay?”

“Are you threatening me?”

He gives me an unreadable smile. “Just friendly banter.” He leaves.

I know instantly that at some point, he and I are going to be good friends, but right now I’m worried. Worried for Nico,  _angry_  at Nico? If I’m angry it’s not because our secret isn’t so secret anymore, it’s because he could have, potentially, thrown his career away over….over what? Me? That’s a messed up amount of pressure and I’ve no idea how to process or feel about this, but I guess I have an hour to figure it out.

I finish up my shift, ignoring the appreciative, somewhat quizzical glances thrown my way – gossip travels alarmingly fast in a hospital – and head to my locker. Perhaps if I wasn’t so wrapped up in my thoughts about Nico I’d have enjoyed the way people were looking at me, but all I can do is think about Nico at home, worried sick that he’s just thrown his career away. One thing I do know, I am  _not_  worth that.  

I sense someone standing close and suddenly Taryn is  _right_  there, not even a foot away, unmoving as she looks at me. “ _Dude_.”

I nod my head solemnly. “Dude.” I agree.

“I mean…” She shakes her head in exasperation, clearly at a loss for words. “ _Dude_.”

“Ok as riveting as this is, I have to go.” I close my locker door and swing my backpack over my shoulder, sidestepping her.

“Wait, you can’t  _not_  tell me –”

“I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I’ve got to go.”

I leave the locker-room and hear her call after me. “I  _knew_  it was a date!”

I time my arrival perfectly. One of Nico’s neighbours who recognises me lets me in the building just as they’re leaving, so when I find myself standing outside Nico’s door I have a moment to think about how I’m going to handle this.

…I got nothing. Oh well. I knock on the door and wait.

When he opens up there’s a brief moment of surprise followed by silent resignation as he steps backwards, letting me in.

“I was going to call or text…”

“And yet my phone remains silent.” I guess I am a little annoyed. But the second I see his split lip and defeated slump of his shoulders it gives way to a feeling akin to tenderness. “Idiot.”

He looks at me. “You mad?”

“I thought so, but…”

“What?”

“You look so sad. I hate it.”

He strides over to the fridge, plucking out two bottles of water and handing me one. “I guess I’m usually smiling when you’re around.”

He sits on the sofa, and instead of sitting beside him I clear the newspaper and text books from the coffee table and instead perch myself there, directly in front of him so our knees knock. “He must have been a real dick.”

That surprises a laugh out of Nico and he nods. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Nico, what the hell happened?”

“I think you can guess.”

“I want details. What was said?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“That flattering, was it?”

“He’s a jerk, it doesn’t matter what he said.”

“Considering that I’m the one who's had to field a hospital-full of side glances and snide comments, I think I’m entitled to know.”

He winces. “I’m so sorry.”

I take the bottle of water away from him so I can take his hands in mine. “Forget it, Doctor Lincoln filled me in, more or less gave me the head’s up that I’ll be having an awkward conversation with HR but I should otherwise be ok.”

“You spoke to Linc?”

“Sort of. He was the one to let me know what was going on, poked fun at me and then made some casual threats… no biggie.”

A ghost of a smile hovers over his lips. “That means he likes you.”

“Which is more than I can say for Doctor Karev. Come on, I want details. I need to know what I’m walking into tomorrow.”

He sighs. “He’s an insecure idiot. He acts like he’s fine with the fact that you were with his wife back then, but he’s not.” He snorts. “Bet  _they’re_ having a fun evening right now.”

“What did he say?”

“Don’t worry. He was just trying to get at me because he knows he can’t take shots at an intern.”

“ _Nico_.”

He sighs, pulls his hands free to lean back against the sofa. “He said he’d seen us together and knew what was going on. He called you a loser. Pathetic. A waste of space.”

Sadly, that’s nothing I haven’t heard before. “Ok, well, that’s nothing too –”

“He told me to stop slumming it with the desperate intern who’d never make it as a doctor.”

Ouch. “Oh.” I say quietly.

Nico leans forward, dips his head to catch my gaze. “So I punched his lights out.”

That gets a weak smile out of me. His hands grip my knees. “You’re  _none_  of those things.”

“Thank you, but –”

“No, hey…” he lifts my chin to look at him. “You’re smart as hell and an awesome doctor. You’re the guy that was bled dry in an OR to save a patient’s life. You’re also the guy who army crawled to me during a freakin’ tornado, slung me over your shoulder and dragged me into that ambulance.” His thumb brushes my chin gently. “You’re amazing.”

His words spread through my chest like a warm medicine. “Thank you.”

“I don’t know what’s going on in his personal life for him to prod at me like that, and I don’t care, but I think when we were both pulled into Bailey’s office, we reached some kind of silent understanding.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugs, frowning. “It’s between him and his wife, but perhaps you and her...” he gestures to me. “Maybe he can’t get his head around it. Maybe it nags at him. I think…I think I might feel the same way.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He studies me a moment before answering. “We’re getting pretty close, right?” He asks quietly.

“Yes,” I answer straight away.

“Things are getting, I don’t want to scare you off, but… we’re in exclusive territory, correct?”

I snort. “Well  _I’m_  not seeing anyone else.”

He smiles. “Right, and me neither, by the way, but what I’m saying is…we’re getting closer and I don’t even know if…” he trails off, like he’s trying to pick his words carefully.

“Spit it out, Nico.”

“I don’t even know if you’re gay.”

“What?” I laugh. “What would call what we did last night if not  _intensely_  gay?”

“No, I…” he looks away, laughing softly. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m getting pretty damn attached to you and I don’t know if you’re gay or bi. So there’s that niggling feeling, you know?”

“Not really.” I answer, confused.

“In the same way that Alex Karev is uncomfortable with you having been with his wife and not really understanding it, I guess so am I. Not –” he interrupts me when I begin to protest. “Not because I have any right to be jealous or judgemental over whom you’ve been with in the past…”

I snort. “That’s a really short list.”

He grins, but won’t be distracted. “But because I’m getting attached to someone who is feeling his way through all of this, someone who…might change his mind.”

I can tell it cost him a lot to admit that, and though I haven’t given it much thought I feel as if I owe him some sort of answer. “Okay,” I begin. “I admit, I’m not really sure at this point if I’m gay or bi, I think I love what we have so much that it feels kind of irrelevant, but I will say this…”

He watches me carefully. I hold out my left hand, palm up. “On the one hand there’s my experience with Jo Karev, and the other two girls I’ve slept with, which was merely awkward at best.” I hold out my right hand in the same way. “Then there’s my experience with Nico Kim, who  _rocked my freakin’ world_.”

He lets out a genuine laugh, letting his head hang as he looks to the ground. “Dork.” He says quietly, affectionately.

“Hey,” I say softly. “Sun sword, remember?”

The look he gives me can be described as nothing other than tender.

“And you’re the idiot that’s going to spend the next two weeks watching daytime TV I might remind you.”

He groans. “Don't remind me. Kind of worth it, though.”

“You still shouldn’t have done it.”

“I won’t tolerate anyone speaking about you that way. Alex Karev knows that now.”

“You got  _suspended_ , Nico.”

He sighs. “I know, but…” his gaze darts from my lips, to my eyes and back “I’d do it again.” He says quietly.

I take in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“What?” He asks.

“I want to be mad at you, or perhaps for you, I’m not sure, but instead I just…”

“Yeah?”

I swallow hard. “I think I kind of love you.”

His smile slips away and his eyes fix hard onto mine, swimming with some unknown emotion. He opens his mouth to say something but I shake my head, stopping him.

“Don’t. You don’t need to say anything, I didn’t say that so I could hear it back, it…it just is what it is.” It’s suddenly the most simple of equations, the most basic of facts. “I love you, Nico. I just don’t think I realised it until now.”

He honours my wishes and doesn’t say anything, but there’s a sheen to his eyes, and his hand silently reaches out to mine, our fingers entwining. My eyes fix on his lip and I frown sadly.

“You’re little lip.”

He laughs softly.

“I really like that lip and look what he’s done to it.”

“You should see his  _face_.” He says smugly. 

I bark out a laugh. “That’s such a tough guy response,  _please_.”

“You’ll see it tomorrow. Or perhaps not, if he’s smart.”

“Okay, this macho stuff? It’s doing… _something_  to me. You gotta knock it on the head unless you want to get jumped.”

“Practically everything I do is with the objective of getting you naked, so jump away.”

My hands slide forward, over his thighs so that I’m leaned in close, close enough to brush my nose against his affectionately. “Does it hurt?” I ask, meaning his lip.

“Awfully, not sure I’ll make it through the night.” He murmurs.

“I’m guessing it was seen to at the hospital, antiseptics and all that jazz…?”

“Yeah?”

“I bet they didn’t give you the good stuff, though.”

“And what’s that?”

“Hold still.”

I let my lips brush his sore one in the softest of kisses. “See? All better.”

“That’s some magic right there.”

“That’s trademarked Levi Schmitt medicine.” I grin.

“Does it work anywhere?”

“Yep.”

“Then I should mention that he kneed me square in the balls…”

I tip my head back and laugh. Trust Nico to make me bray like a donkey even during the most romantic of moments.

“No?” He chuckles. “That didn’t work?”

“Oh my god,” I laugh helplessly. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I have a few ideas.” He reaches for my arms, tugging me to him. “Come here, you.”

I quickly straddle his lap, his arms circling my waist as I cup his face gently, half laughing, half kissing him. I love this man. This man who got into fisticuffs with someone who insulted me. This man who’d take suspension over letting an insult to me slide. This gentle but dangerous, intense yet kind man.

“Levi…” He murmurs into the kiss.

“Hmm?”

“That thing you didn’t want me to say back…”

“Shush, it’s ok.”

“But you must know…”

“I said hush; I got some healing to do here.” I say playfully as I pepper kisses down his neck. Right now? I’m perfectly happy; I don’t a single thing other than what I already have in my arms.

He smiles almost sadly, like he’s helpless, like he’s completely lost to me. “That trademark Levi Schmitt medicine?”

I pull him forwards slightly only so I can encourage him to turn and lay flat on the sofa so I can cover him.

“That’s right. Now lay back, sir, so can I assess your injuries.”

Laughter filters through the apartment.

 


End file.
